WEB CHUTNEY

Since its launch in 2005, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been orbiting the red planet and snapping photos merrily as it goes. The MRO sends back photos of Mars every month, but this month’s dispatch of 1,035 photos is unique.

This month is special as every 26 months the geometry of the planets offers a sweet spot for data return. As Mars is currently at opposition, or the Sun and Mars are on opposite sides of Earth’s sky, there is no obstruction of communications between the planets for a few weeks.

1. Crater with Central Mound

2. Sinus Meridiani Dune Monitoring

3. Gully Monitoring

4. Yardangs South of Olympus Mons

5. Proctor Crater Dune Gullies

6. Steep Slopes of Hebes Chasma

7. Crater in Hesperia Planum

8. Fractures in Utopia Planitia

9. Depression with Terraced Margins Northwest of Nicholson Crater

10. Deposits in Noctis Layrinthus

11. Dune Field with Bright Fans

12. Dunes Dubbed Kolhar

13. Irregular Basin Floor Materials

14. Cryptic Terrain

15. Russell Crater Dunes

16. Candidate recent impact site

17. Cratered layered Terrain and wall slopes in Melas Chasma

18. Monitor Gullies in Heaviside Crater